Esophageal resections are challenging procedures often associated with postoperative complications and a prolonged hospital stay. This study investigated the impact of postoperative course on midterm survival in 35 patients undergoing esophageal resection for malignancy between January 2002 and November 2007. The impact of preoperative and operative variables, pathology, staging, early postoperative complications, and length of hospital stay on midterm survival was determined with Cox regression analysis. During the follow-up period, 17 (48.6%) patients died. Multivariate analysis identified surgical stage and length of stay as independent predictors of midterm survival; in addition, the total number of complications reached statistical significance. In conclusion, in addition to surgical stage, postoperative course has an impact upon midterm survival after esophageal resection.